The Lost One
by TvFan2244
Summary: For one to be whole, they must realize who they are, but for this wayward child of white hair, he's forgotten who he is for some time. As the family he's unaware of continues to deal with his absence, he ventures into a path of carnage as he seeks to settle a personal vendetta over the organization who have robbed him of his memories, and his arm with kindred souls aiding him.
1. Chapter 1

**Now, I know what you're going too say; not another NSL fic. I perfectly understand, NSL happened like ages ago and that I should move on, but I truly have, it's just that even though it was one of the worst episodes of the series, it made for excellent material to draw inspiration from when making a story. Not just that but I also drew some inspiration from the Deux Ex series and Captain Ameroca: The Winter Soldier, some personal favorites of mine. This is a little unorthodox from most NSL fanfics, but that's what I'm hoping for, in most stories, it's always family drama but I wanted to try a new approach and I consider this an important project and I've discussed the concept with fellow author Houn424 who likes it so here it is.**

 **Rated M for blood, language, and violence.**

 **Don't forget to Fave, Follow, and leave your Reviews.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Somewhere in the sky, there was a bountiful of what you might expect from such an environment, animals such as eagles, birds, and other avian species were soaring through the sky, a basic standard setting for some, but a flock of pigeons flew besides an aircraft, but it wasn't the average plane or helicopter, it was a carrier that resembled something from the military, if not a little more hi-tech. On the side was a logo, it resembled the letter N, but the end was extended t o look like a lightning bolt. Inside were an array of weaponry, weaponry ranging from M16 rifles, Colt AR-15s, Heckler and Cotch pistols, Uzi machine guns and the like, anything one would need to shoot up some shit was placed here and the ones who used such works of art were the ones taking their seats at the moment. Each sat silent as the craft continued to transport them across the sky, some were anxious to get started while others took the time to prepare for what was to come.

Although there were certain things about these guys that made them stand out. for one thing, they were all kids and teenagers and perhaps their most defining feature was that they each had artificial robotic and weaponized augmentations that acted as replacement limbs for what used to be their more fleshy appendages.

On the left side was an African-American young man of 17 years with his hair tied into dreadlocks, the lower part of his arms were purely robotic wearing a Kevlar jacket and combat pants and boots with hidden knife compartments, he cracked the metal knuckles as he continued chanting. "Who's the boss, I'm the damn boss, motherfucker."

Sitting next to him was a blonde 15-year-old with his hair spiked up, he wore a blue hoodie over his body armor with his right hand being artificial, along with his two legs as well, he nodded his head as he listened to some pop music on his headphones with a relaxed demeanor.

Next on the third seat was a 16 year old boy with two of his arms being robotic along with a deep scar over his right eye that were closed along with the left one, he wore black clothing the same as his hair.

Fourth from the first one was a teenage girl who was also 17 and of American decent, she had her violet dyed hair cut to a bob style and wore a sleeveless top with pants that held many knives and her right leg and left arm were both prosthetic robot appendages and kept a stoic expression as silence filled the room.

Finally there was a brunette boy of the similar age of 14 with a rather calm smile with his left arm robotic and a few of his left fingers being robotic as well and carried an Armalite AR-50 sniper rifle carried on his back, he hummed a cheerful tune while swinging legs like a child which was quite disturbing but no one made a fuss about it.

Over on the right side were elementary aged and a middle-schooled age kid. For instance, there were two who were identical twins with auburn hair and were both eleven years old, one twin had his right arm and leg augmented while the other twin had the same but on the left side.

Next to them was a 13-year-old who hid his features with a grey hoodie to hide his face where the ride side of his face was made out of robotics and a glowing red eye with short black hair and an emotionless expression with his hands in his pockets.

Then there was a young Japanese kid with his two hands being robotic and wearing a green visor, his hair was jet black with a single streak being dyed green and was also listening to some music, only his tastes were techno and dubstep.

Last, but certainly not least, the last youngling was another 11-year-old with his hair being snow white that was very long, it reached past his shoulders, he wore a black jacket over a bulletproof top with a strap that carried a high-tech sword and his only augmentation was his right arm, a highly advanced and technical piece of art. He gazed at it in disdain as he tried flexing his metal fingers, he was still getting used to the feeling of having this metal appendage, as useful as it was, it still had a few bugs to work out which was no walk in the park. But he can't say he wishes for the old feeling of having an arm made of flesh and bone as opposed to one with nuts and bolts, mostly because he couldn't remember a feeling like that.

"Hey, L." he looked to the raven-haired teen with metal arm who opened his eyes to reveal that the right one was cybernetic in nature. "You look a little nervous there, not getting cold feet are ya? I don't want to have to cover your ass while the show gets started, those sons of bitches won't give you time to think."

L looked to the side. "I'm fine Aaron."

"Better be, little man." the dreadlocked teen told him. "Don't have tie to get emotional."

"Like you did last night at the docks, Devon?" the girl smirked.

Devon shook his head. "Hey, I was still reeling from that movie we all watched in Venice, that shit can make anyone cry Mia, so don't go judging me. I might have steel hands but fool, that don't mean I'm made of stone." all Mia did was chuckle along with the spikey-haired blonde who took off his headphones to chime in.

"Hey man, it's cool, so you're not as tough as you want people to see you as. Trust me, we can already tell." he teased.

"Man, shut up, Jesse."

L looked to the hooded one. "Jack, any updates?"

"We are progressing as per our orders demanded, ETA will be precisely as predicted during briefing." Jack robotically replied, not taking his eyes off the empty space he was staring at.

"You two, Rick, Nick." L addressed the twins. "You boys ready to roll?"

"Locked..." Nick, the one with the left augmentations began.

His brother, Rick who had the right side of augments finished. "...and loaded."

Next, was the guy who was enjoying listening to some sick beats. "Shirako. Hey, Shirako." L grabbed his ally's headphones and yelled in his ear. "Get your head in the game!"

"Dude!" Shirako replied, rubbing his ear to get rid of the ringing. "Tone the volume to a minimum, my ear drums can't handle it, L-man, you'll mess with my flow, bro."

L raised an eyebrow. "You listen to that music of yours 24/7 and you say my voice is numbing?" he surmised with an incredulous look on his face, dumbfounded by how much his friend can handle the level of sound. "Whatever man, just make sure you put it on pause when we land, unless you want that music to be the last thing you hear."

Devon then heard the humming tune. "Tony boy, what in the hell you singing about?" he asked.

"Oh you know, just thinking about which side I should shoot my gun, should I do it normal or do you think a good old fashioned execution style would do the trick?" Tony inquire with a thoughtful finger on his chin of which he rubbed. "I want the guys remembering the kind of guy who's pointing their gun at them, that way they can tell their friends and they'll know who they're messing with 'cause we all a bunch of guys who love the shooting and the killing."

"You do know that no one would tell their friends, because they'd be dead, right?" L pointed out. "And isn't our work supposed to be secret? You'd be pretty much compromising all of us, Tone."

Tony's face went frozen as he registered his younger teammate's words. "Shit, you're right. Well that ruins some plans for my movie, Terms of En-Killing-Ment." he got dubious stare from his friends. "I mean, it's a working title, so-"

"You're cracked up in that bat-shit crazy head of yours, you know that?" Devon told him.

Before Tony could respond, a beeping was heard from Jack's eye. "Incoming transmission from the Benefactor, putting it on view." his eye projected a hologram which showed a silhouetted face and blank white eyes.

 _ **"Afternoon to you all.**_ ** _"_** the person greeted with a distorted voice, curtesy of a modulator to disguise it and ergo, his identity. _**"Good to see you all are prepared for the mission."**_ images of a transport vehicle and life-like models were then shown. _**"Your mission objective should be clear enough, intercept the convoy before it gets to its destination and free the new subjects that are trapped inside, to avoid suspicion, they disguised it as a cereal truck of Zombie Brand."**_

"Oh, I love those." Tony grinned. "I mean, advertising walking dead rotting corpses as a cereal box can be so tasty once you ignore the images of a zombie biting on a person's head to eat the brainy substance inside like in that awesome TV show about zombies and brain-eating and the killing, you know, the good shit."

Mia gagged a little and clutched her stomach. "Please don't, I had a big lunch before we left."

 _ **"As I was saying, you are to intercept and terminate all enemies in sight, for remember, we don't take any prisoners. As for the captives, you are to assure them pf their safety and once our transports arrive, we can proceed to bring them back home along with a few memory erasing so that they could forget all that they've seen since their capture."**_

 _'Too bad the same couldn't be said for us.'_ L bitterly thought as he gazed at his cybernetic appendage. Even after the last missions he's participated in throughout these past 4 months, it was still hard for him to grasp that he's gotten in a position like this. Then again, that's all he can remember, that and what happened, it almost feels like yesterday that he was held in that shit hole they called a lab...

For him, it was the beginning...

* * *

 _Flashback, 4 Months ago_

He had no idea how long he's been here.

Mostly because any point in time where he wasn't here he can't for the life of him remember anything.

All he did remember was waking up on some operating table, there were guys in lab coats being accompanied by some other guys with armor and guns, the room was very dark and the only think he could focus on was the light above him. One other thing that he saw his arm, a completely artificial one made out of some hi-end shit, the stuff of movies, or video games, or something. Naturally, he freaked out and they had to sedate him, next thing you know, he finds himself in a jail cell with no memory of what happened before that. There was no recollection of his name, where he came from, everything was just one big old fucking blank to him.

In his mind, he could only think of one thing.

L.

And so, that was the name he adopted. It was all he could remember and nothing more , definitely better than what those scientists call him which is 'the subject and presently, he was trapped inside this damn cell. Being held in a small space against his will stirred anger in him, it's understandable, yes, bbit for him it drove him over the edge. The only thing he could do all day was sit far in the corner and hugged his legs as he counted away the minutes and had lost track at 24. At least he can be sure that at least one day passed, anything beyond that was unknown to him, but that was about to change, today was the day and there was no room for error.

During his imprisonment, L had made sure to take note of the daily schedule, every 4 hours or so, they would send some sentry to the prison level and give food to their one and only prisoner, he's been rehearsing this plan for a while and if everything goes alright, then he can kiss this hell goodbye, all that was needed is some patience. And lo and behold, there he was, with a tray of food just for him, the best part of his plan, he'll never have to eat that crap ever again.

The sentry walked to his cell and tapped the door. "Lunch time, subject." he called to tell him and placed the tray o the bottom where a thin opening was so that he could reach it, but then grew confused when he got no answer. "Hey, I said lunch time, so hurry up, the boys in the lab want you in tip top shape for the next phase of the experiment." Still no answer, the sentry decided to see what was the problem this time, he took out his ID to automatically open the door, and see that he was on the floor grunting and holding his side. "The fuck?!" he knelt down and checked him over. "The hell happ-NGH!" the sentry was unprepared when the kid suddenly took out a shank and plunged into his throat.

"All too easy." L smirked, as the sentry collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood leaking from his wound, L took both his ID and his rifle gun to aid in his escape.

L checked both end of the hallway and made his way to the exit and used the ID card to enter through. "Hey, what are you doing out?!" he turned to see more guards. "Quick sound the ala-GAH!" L wasted no time in opening fire, killing that guard and made sure to kill the rest before they alerted everyone of his escape, they returned fire but he got them straight between the eyes, he hid the corpses inside lockers in case someone across them.

Now, all he needed to do was find a way out of this shit show.

Stealth was his best option, so he made sure not to arouse any noise and make all his attempt at escape for nothing, he looked up to see an air vent and got an idea, L raised his robot arm up and it shot out like grappling hook and pulled him up. Using his left, more fleshy arm, L was able to tear it off like tissue paper, it looks like those scientists did more than just give him a prosthetic, that made things all the more easy. He crawled through the vents in order to find a good exit path. As he crawled, he started hearing some voices and they were familiar, the white haired 11-year-old went to see and he saw the very same lab he was trapped in and below were the scientists.

"How was the subject this morning." one said to another who were looking over notes.

"Better than yesterday." the second one replied. "His affinity for killing has grown, the soldier that we pitted him against didn't stand a chance, if things progress further at this rate, he may be our biggest success yet, possibly even more than you know who."

The first scientist chuckled. "Best not to let him hear that, it's been said that he as quite the temper."

L remembered.

This morning, they put him in that hexagonal room and one of the soldiers tried to kill him, it wasn't the first time it's happened, he was put through various sparring matches where he had to fight and kill to win, and blood started to boil in his very being as he came to the realization that these guys apparently arranged it.

But it wasn't just that, images started playing in his head as he closed his eyes.

A saw...

Him screaming...

Blood staining the operating table...

And the sight of a severed arm falling to the floor...

His eyes opened up as rage filled within him, he kicked the door down and landed, much to the surprise and horror of the scientists. He shot at the second one repeatedly until he was but a lifeless husk on the floor and before the first one could call for help, L tackled him to the floor and punched square in the face with his metal arm. "What the fuck did you sick bastards do to me?!" he demanded, but the skinny egghead was a bloodied mess to answer anything, plus he lost a few teeth. "Don't fall asleep, you son of a bitch! What did you do? Where did I come from?!" the scientist began choking out some words. "What was that?!"

"K-Kill him...!"

Sensing trouble from behind, he turned and saw more guards who took him, he leapt from his spot and they shot the scientist by mistake, effectively killing him. L fired as well, but saw that he was running low on ammo, he then spotted a smoke grenade on one of them and took aim, in one decisive shot, L blew up the grenade, blinding the guards as a cloud of smoke filled their area. L took his chance and ran fast at them, he climbed up behind one and twisted his neck around, he took out a knife from one of his holsters and threw it at another's face. Another knife was taken out and he used to slit the legs of the last one and he fell down, picking up a gun, L shot him through an eye.

"Crap, I need to be more careful." he panted, he then noticed a manifest on a desk and promptly took it and on the pad was a map, AKA, his ticket to blow this joint and noticed a designation on the top. "BIO..." He then spotted a route that led to the main hangar that was outside, L ran outside and kicked it into high gear as he made it his mission to escape and finally be free, he followed the map's directions to the very last letter and he was able to take a shortcut that led straight through to where he wanted to go. And there it was, an exit with a place to insert an ID, of which he did so. It was revealed that he was placed in some facility and that it was located in some mountain.

He welcomed the cool air, it was the first thing he felt that wasn't insomnia and pain, he looked up at the clear blue sky in complete wonder and just loved it, so this is what freedom felt like. It was...comforting. Unfortunately, this feeling was cut off when he heard a shout. "You there, hold it!" he saw more guards who saw him exit. "Shoot to stun, we don't want to damage him too gravely!" the lead guard.

"Shit!" L cursed, running for his life while firing at them.

He needed to find a way off this mountain as no matter how many he gunned down, more start coming as well, L ran until he found himself at the edge of the mountain and nearly fell to the deep below. "There's nowhere for you to run!" the lead guard told him , aiming their weapons at him. "Make this easy for yourself and return to your cell."

 _'Or better yet, fuck you!'_ L snarled internally.

But completely out of the blue, a missile was heard firing and struck the soldiers, from behind L, a helicopter rose with an N logo, which surprised L and the soldiers, for the latter, it was mostly out of dread. "The Network?! How the fuck did they find us?! This locations supposed to be secured!" no one had time to answer as the copter once again fired as carrier ships with the same logo flew in and out came soldiers, only they wore different battle armor.

L merely stood at his place with incredulous eyes. "Okay..."

"Kid, duck!" a Network soldier tackled the snow haired down to avoid a bullet that nearly hit him. "Get to a carrier, it'll take you away from these bastards!" he told the boy.

"How can be I sure I can trust you?" the amnesiac boy asked, not sure if these guys were any better.

"Don't worry, we're on your side! Would we be risking our lives for you if we weren't?"

Okay, the soldier made a very good point. Knowing that he had no other options at the moment, L complied with his order as he ran with him to one of the carriers and made it inside. "Where are you taking me?" he inquired as all the soldiers made it back inside, but not without one or more casualties in the battle.

"Somewhere safe, kiddo."

* * *

 _Present Day_

"Coming up on the convey!"

The pilot's voice snapped L out of his musing as the carrier was nearing their drop zone, everyone on board started preparing themselves for the inevitable scuffle they were about to enter in. Aaron placed a quiver of arrows on his back and readied his bow which was outfitted with a laser point to add more accuracy to his point along with two Beretta pistols. Gattling guns were mounted on Devon's robot arms and spun around as he checked his ammo, ready to get this party started. Rick and Knick both carried the same submachine gun which were both H&K MP5Ks and fist bumped as the lights turned red to signify what was to come. Tony whistled as he practiced aiming with his sniper rifle and made sure that his scope wasn't blurred, otherwise he wouldn't get a good shot in. Mia placed wrist mounted gauntlets that sprung out blades that she would use to swiftly kill all who stood in her path, all while blowing a gum bubble. Shirako turned up the volume on his hands and connected them to his MP3, he never could resist blowing someone's eardrums up with his sound. Jack's eye hummed, readying his battle defenses without doing much of anything, but he'll show his stuff down there. L drew his customized Desert Eagles and readied his robotic arm for combat.

 **"Okay people, this it. Crunch time."** the ever mysterious Benefactor told them as he saw them all prepare for combat, just as how he trained all of them for a confrontation like this. **"Remember to do whatever it takes to achieve your objective, the enemy that is BIO won't show you any mercy so don't hesitate to return the favor. Masks on."**

Everyone on the team put on face-masks that concealed their facial features so that any witnesses who may come across the event wouldn't be able to recognize any of them, followed by putting on their parachutes.

"Green light is go, people! Go, go, go!"

The hangar door opened up and the team stood up and went towards the opening.

Everyone looked down to see the surface that was far below and without much hesitation, they dived off into the sky, their adrenaline levels rising at the excitement of skydiving.

"Get some!" Devon exclaimed.

"Whoo!" Tony cheered.

"Oh yeah!" the twins shouted as well.

"Surf's up, brah!" Jesse said, his legs transforming to make separate parts that combined into a hoverboard.

L kept his focus on the mission, but still this was freaking cool!

"Hey Jack!" Mia shouted to the stoic boy. "You tracking the convoy?!"

Jack checked his sensors and managed to pinpoint the target's exact location. "Convery is currently moving, we'll be coming up on it as planned, a suggested tactic would be to deploy the chutes swiftly. I recommend we land somewhere where the drivers of the convey won't be able to spot any of our beings, until we strike."

Aaron looked to the team's sniper. "Tony, you find a good place to make a shot from a long range, we'll handle things up close, you got it?"

"Do dogs shit on shirts?" Tony replied.

"...What?"

"That's me saying you can count on me."

Aaron glared. "Focus, man! These sick fucks will get what they deserve, so don't mess it up." he barked at him then looked to everyone else. "Once we see the convoy, deploy your chutes on my mark, so get ready, people!"

Sure enough, they spotted a truck that was disguised as a cereal truck and the team pulled their strings and their parachutes sprang from behind, they all steered to land in the same spot. As they safely landed on the ground, they took their chutes off and hid behind a few bushes as they saw the truck advancing, while in front of them were SUVs that acted as its protection. "Aaron. Grenade." Jack said, the raven-haired teen threw a smoke grenade that when it went off, the drivers stepped on the brakes. BIO soldiers stepped out as they readied their rifles for any.

"L." Mia looked to the boy. "It's your move, kiddo."

That's all he needed to hear. L swiftly drew his pistols and leapt increasingly high as he took aim and shot two soldiers through their eyes, alerting the others of his presence. Bullets flew through the air as they tried to hit L, but he evaded them and hid behind a rock, the boy signaled Tony to do his thing, much to the teen's enjoyment, with his gun ready, the sniper easily managed to hit most of them in very tough shots such as through the chest, Tony was completely ecstatic. "Man, I freaking love this job!" the rest of the group went ahead for the attack, Aaron took out one single arrow and shot it in the air where the tip blew into multiple smaller ones that rained down and killed most of them. With impressive speed, Mia's blades were drawn and in numerous flips, she slashed them against their throats, chests and even severed some arms and legs, giving them a taste of their own medicine as it were, followed by a series of hard kicks that knocked their necks out of place.

Devon roared as his arm guns started firing wildly. "Come on, motherfuckers, I got plenty for al your sorry asses!" he was intent on killing as many as he could see and quite viciously too, one tried charging at him but Devon put him in a choke hold and broke his neck in a brutal fashion, he ducked one's fire and put a bullet through his waist and another through the head. Devon kneeled to act as a jump ramp for the twins who spun around with their guns blazing, their moves mimicked each other's, being in perfect synchronization. "Yeah, lay on the fire little guys!" Devon cheered them, shooting in the air. "This is what you punks get for what you did!"

Shirko's hands shifted into speakers and released seismic sound waves that were at an intense volume that made the soldiers' ears bleed and was loud enough to explode insides. Jack walked aimlessly as a squad of soldiers surrounded him but he was hardly fazed as from his back, metal tendrils with sharped ends sprouted and stabbed them all through the chest while also strangling another one. As an added measure they could also send an electric shock that electrocuted them to death. Jesse flew three the air with blades extending from the edges of the board and he cut off each pf their heads with while firing with two TEC-9s.

Just another day at the office.

L joined the fray as he fired with his left pistol and pulled out his blade, specially made blade with the steel glowing with blue circuit lines, he decapitated one solder while shooting another one through the abdomen, it was a whole mess of staining the ground with the blood of their enemies, as they had a grievance with these people. "Aaron, on your left!" the archer of the group shot one before he could shoot him, and drew his Desert Eagles and made several shots. L put his weapons back and took out a cylinder device and hooked it to his arm, the hand separated to reveal a laser point where a concentrated beam shot out and melted through their skins, the cylinder was discarded and replaced with another and he shot out another beam.

The BIO soldiers then decided to bring in the big guns and carried missile launchers that made the team try and take cover. Various spots exploded in a fiery blaze, so L moved from his spot and hastily crept to where the soldiers were, they were so focused on the others, they were completely ignorant of the kid that climbed on to the SUV. he jumped off while pointing his gun at them and in one shat, a bullet shot through the three of the soldiers, including the one with the missile launcher. This distraction gave Tony the chance to fire his arrows through the rest of the heavy hitters, the entire opposition were wiped out and the truck was all that was left.

L and the team saw the driver jumped out and tried to make a run but the long haired 11 year old grabbed him from behind and pressed his firearm against his temple. "One wrong move and your brains will be blown to hell.!" L warned him with a growl, making the driver freeze and sweating profoundly.

Devon grabbed the back doors of the truck and tore them off where inside were kids aged 4-13 were trapped in cuffs and gags, Jack helped remove them, leaving Mia to ease them away. It didn't take long for Network transports to arrive suddenly, people in suits helped guide them to the vehicles and consoled those in tears.

"You think you've won?" the driver snorted, despite his fear he was trying to put up a brave front. "You may have stopped this but I can guarantee you that there are more transports that you've failed-AGH!" he screamed in pain when L shot his leg.

"Tell me something." L began darkly, looking at the screaming driver. "Are you proud of yourself? Do you like having to take all these kids and try to turn them into your little lab rats? Or better yet, do you get off when you cut them up, injected some whacky serum in them, making them your personal living weapons?!" he shot at his shoulder, resulting in another scream. "Huh?! Does it?!"

"Yo, L." Shirako moved to hold him back. "Chill it, bud. He ain't worth it."\

Despite wanting to have a few more minutes with the son of a bitch, L complied and walked off as he saw the kids being comforted.

L watched this all silently, as he remembered how he joined an organization such as the Network...

* * *

 _Network Headquarters, 4 Months Ago_

After being transported away from that facility, L was swiftly taken to an entirely new facility, one that was stationed underground in some town they called Royal Woods or something. On top was a warehouse and the soldiers led him down where there was an entire underground bunker that resembled one from the military, he was transfixed by the hi-tech gear they had along with the vast array of firearms hanging on the walls, armored vehicles highly weaponized and more importantly, kids were there. Ranging from kid to teens, he noticed one thing about them, they all had cybernetics augmentations like he did and needless to say, L was very astounded.

He was led to a dark room where a holographic screen was displayed to him which showcased a mysterious shadowy figure.

 _ **"Greetings, young man, L was it?"**_ the figure got no answer. _**"Not much to say, that's understandable I guess, given all that's happened to you, I should expect such a silent treatment. Now, it is my understanding that you have amnesia, correct? From what you've told us, kid, you have little to no recollection of your life prior to your awakening in that facility, most likely caused by the experimentations done to you by BIO."**_

L's interest was piqued when the figure mentioned BIO and about what they did to him. "Whh-Who are they?"

The figure feigned being surprised. ** _"Oh, so you can speak, well good on you then. To answer your question, BIO is the designation of a secret group that make it their business to basically kidnap and maim younglings such as yourself. All the children you've seen are more or less the same as you, you were all ordinary children going about your daily lives until being ripped from your homes and your families and forced to do as they tell you. In addition to the cybernetics, they injected you with an enhancement serum that increase your strength, speed, stamina and so forth."_**

Home.

Family.

Did he ever have such things?

L's metal hand clenched tightly. "Why...?" he whispered, hiding all the pent up rage that's coursing through him right now, the images of what he went through were still playing in his mind like a movie that would never end. "Why did they do this to me? To everyone else?" nothing can excuse those bastards from all the heinous acts that they committed.

 _ **"Unfortunately, we aren't sure of their motives or what their clear objective is. All that is known is that these people have a blatant disregard of life, even children's lives as you know. No one is aware of their existence, for they hide in plain sight, but that's where we come in to the picture. We are called the Network, a government branch that know of BIO and our mission is quite simple, to shut down all operations being done by them, to systematically topple their entire structure as their ctions have made them out to be a very dire threat to the whole world. You may call me the Benefactor."**_

Okay, so they were the good guys, at least at first glance but one thing still ached him.

"Why bring me here?"

 _ **"Like you, we've rescued other children, but they have changed so dramatically that they can't find themselves to re-enter society, so I gave them the choice to become official enforcers for the Network, a team of a lost generation of kids who can never go home, no matter how much they wish it to be so. I offer you, L, to join us, not only would you be making sure that no other child may suffer the pain you went through. Additionally, you'd be making those monsters pay for all that's happened to you because of them, now don't tell me it doesn't the least bit compelling."**_

He was right.

What BIO did to him, robbing him of his memories and his arm, trying to force him into being something that they wanted him to be, he felt a need to settle the score with them, to make them all feel the pain he felt. There was no way in hell he was gonna let this go anytime soon, BIO needed to die and these guys had the tools to do so. "When do I start?"

* * *

 _Present Day_

And so began months of training, L became accustomed to his new enhancements, but the metal arm served as a grim reminder of what BIO did to him and while he figured out how to use it, that didn't men he loved having it. He soon met his new team, one of many strike squads that were put together by the Network, they were the same as him, each were hurt by BIO and they were intent in making them suffer as penance for all their actions against innocent people. L wasn't very sociable, but these guys understood him, only they remembered their pasts, as far as he could tell, he was the only one with memory problems.

It was almost unfair, but he learned to deal with it.

That doesn't mean he's not willing to find answers, and BIO has the keys to them.

"Alright, the boss will take care of the kids." Aaron informed the team. "Let's head back home, we've done our part, so let's hurry up and leave. Nothing left for us here."

Tony sighed, depressingly. "Man, I was hoping for more killing, you know? I didn't even get to add a new finger to my collection."

"Dude, that better be a joke." Jesse responded.

L walked with them to rendezvous with the transport ship that would be taking them back home, and yet he still took one last look at the kids that they helped rescue. Once all has been said and done, they can go back home and all of this would've seem like one bad dream, they were fortunate, he wasn't sure of any of them could've survived the process that made him who he is now, he and the rest were some of the lucky ones. At least, for them, the nightmare was over.

But for him, the mission still took priority. "I need a soda." he spoke, rubbing his temples. It's been happening lately, some minor migraines that aren't that serious but he still felt the daily, it was a mystery as to why.

The again, that's a recurring thing with the white-haired 11 year old.

Nothing but mysteries.

* * *

 _Royal Woods, Michigan_

How long has it been?

4 months?

Funny, it almost felt more than that to them.

None could really blame them, thought, given all that's happened recently in the Loud House.

Appropriately named, not just because it was the family surname, but because it had an infamous reputation of being rather rambunctious, given the fact that it housed a large family of 13, well make that 12 as of late. Things haven't been as loud as it's known to be, mostly because the family members there haven't found valid reason to be in an active mood, especially not without him. Not without a central component of their family, that being the only son and brother of the Louds; Lincoln. Hard to believe that so much time has pissed since he went missing, some like to think that it was all some sort of bad dream and they'd be waking up soon, but that wasn't the case like always, things didn't magically resolve themselves overnight.

They made their choices.

And now they have to live with the consequences of their actions.

Inside the living room were the oldest and second oldest Lori and Leni who were seated on the couch, their favorite TV program but they hardly paid attention to it, Lori was too busy sulking while also wearing her favorite Bobby sweater, it was one that on occasions where she was in deep despair. As for the other blonde girl, she sat while hugging her knees closely as sobs and sniffles were heard. "Leni." Lori called, making her look up showing the fresh tears that were dripping. "Remember what mom and dad told us, be strong." she told her younger sister with a stern frown.

Sniffling, Leni gave a weak response. "I know Lori, it's just-it's just I miss him so much...! I want Linky back!" she continued to weep, her sadness as clear as day to all who were present. "Why did we do it? Why?"

Lori's initial frown softened into a sympathetic expression, she took out her phone for the first time in the day and searched through her personal file of pictures she saved on the cloud, unlike her father. There was one that she could never delete, it was a picture of her when she was much younger, about 6 or so and she was feeding mint chip ice cream to a male infant wearing an orange onsie and with a small strand of white hair, things seemed so much easier back then, maybe because the number of children wasn't as big as it was now. "I don't know, Leni." she somberly responded a single tear dropped as the oldest caressed the picture of her little brother.

They weren't the only ones in pain, inside the bedroom of their parents, Lynn Sr. and Rita, the two adults weren't in a better mood, the patriarch was sittign besides the phone, waiting for it to ring, he wanted it to be the police who say that they've managed to find something, anything that points to the whereabouts of their missing boy, but like before, the call never came. Rita laid on the bed, her mascara running with all the tears that have been shed, she can't handle this, an atmosphere of pain and despair that has befallen the Loud house. She just wants her baby back and she wants her family to be whole once more. Both berated themselves for allowing things to get out of hand like it did, if they had actually acted like real parents, none of this would be happening.

Moving to the kitchen were the twins, Lola and Lana and almost unbelievably, they weren't in another one of their petty arguments for once, they knew it wouldn't help much in the family's current state and truthfully, they were lamenting in their own way. Lola lazily ate cereal without so much as a word, today was the day for an important pageant, but she could hardly care, her coach wasn't around and though she'd never admit it, she couldn't succeed, not without him. Her polar opposite twin was comforting Charles, the family's pet dog who was whining, depressingly. "It's okay, boy. I want him back, too." Lana consoled him.

"Lana." Lola spoke, for the first time. "Do you think he's alright?" she asks, genuinely curious.

"Of course he is." Lana replied with a confident tone. "He has to be when he finally comes home, right?" the young tomboy pointed out, wanting to hold out hope that somewhere out there, he big brother is already walking back to the house and he can be a part of her life just like before and she can tell him how sorry she is.

Lola looked down and silently whispered. "But does he even want to come back?" After what happened, the young pageant princess was finally starting to learn to take responsibility for her actions, and slowly thought of the possibility that he's so mad that coming home is the last thing on his mind, she wouldn't blame him.

Cut to upstairs in one of the rooms which belonged to Luna and Luan. The rocker teenage girl slowly strummed some of the strings on her guitar, not feeling the usual energy of playing some music, not even the Mick Swagger song that was playing on her laptop could life her spirits up and besides her was a mix tape, it had BABY BRO'S MIX written on it, she was planning on giving it to Linc, but doesn't know what much to do with it since he's not here. Anger at herself was forming. _'I should've done something, I should've had his back.'_ Her musings were cut off when a phone started ringing. "Hey sis, you gonna pick that up?" she asked her comedian sister.

Luan wasn't busting out corny jokes as usual, to her there was no reason to laugh and as such, she didn't find the need to answer another request for her to perform at a birthday party. "Not in the mood." she responded, barely paying attention to the call. "Not sure I have it in me right now, Funny Business might have to close for a while, at least until I get my groove back, but of course, I need..." she sniffled. "...an assistant."

At that, Luna closed her eyes with a clenched fist, not wanting to delve further, the Rockstar hopped down from her bed and exited her room and looked to the side to see the room entrance for what used to be a linen closet which was then converted into a bedroom for an important person in her life, of whom she hasn't seen in a while. They removed all the chains and board and bought back all his stuff, realizing they're all that they have to remember him by, still couldn't believe they sold it in the first place, she couldn't believe everything that happened actually played out. She placed a hand on the door and tried to fight back tears. "I'm sorry, bro."

In a nearby room was the 4-year-old prodigy, Lisa who observed, not with a inquisitive gaze, but with a sorrowful one as she knew exactly how one of her elder siblings feels, despite claiming how innate human emotions are to her, she's till human herself and such, is quite capable of experiencing emotions such as sadness. She heard incoherent babbling, curtesy of her infant roommate and younger sister, Lily, who was hugging a familiar stuffed rabbit toy, she hadn't left it out of her sight since his disappearance. Lisa patted Lily's head in comfort and quickly went to her personal computer and typed in a few codes where a grid search was made and she tried locking to the signal of the tracking ship she placed on him, along with the rest of the family but as with the other times she searched, it wasn't responding.

Slamming her fist to the desk in frustration, Lisa rubbed her temple, she used a lot of resources, called in many a favor and despite being able to crack cold fusion, she couldn't find any trace of her kin. "Where have you gone, elder brother?" she desperately asked. "What has become of you in these trifling times?"

Finally, the last pair of family members were Lucy, gifted goth poet and Lynn Jr., sports fanatic. Lucy was inside her coffin, hugging her being which concealed an issue of the Princess Pony comic book series, it reminded of a precious moment with her big brother, when he selflessly took the fall for one of her mistakes, despite trying to avoid it. It made her feel horrible since she didn't return the favor during a time when he obviously needed it, but then, there was the cause of all this.

Outside her coffin was her jock of a sister, the very person Lucy feels is responsible of this whole mess, the goth knows better than most on how insufferable she can be since they share a room together. Heck, even the whole family knew of it, her competitive nature, not taking a lost very lightly, and her silly superstitions. In Lucy's mind, these factors led to the current state of her family and yet, she couldn't help but hold a grudge against her but then again, Lynn's not as oblivious as most think. At first, she thought her nerd of a brother was just faking it to get back at her but after the first week, the jock realized what she's done.

In fact, the jock was punching a training dummy to vent her anger. _'You're such an idiot.'_ she told herself. _'You thought with him gone, everything would be great for yourself and the family but look at how they are, everyone's suffering, and it's your fault.'_ Lynn knows she can be bit of a handful, but she just writes it off as people being too whiny, but now, she just wanted to see that goofy smile of his and tell him how sorry she is. "Hey Luce." she called to the coffin. "I'm going to get some air, alright?" no response. "Right." another silent treatment, just like with Luna, not surprising to her.

Only one thing crossed through the Louds' minds:

Where is Lincoln Loud?

* * *

 **Tell me what you think!**

 **Stay in tune for another one of Lincoln's, or rather L's wild adventures.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lincoln has been missing for a full four months, with his family unaware on what's been done to him or what he's been up to since his disappearance. With him are a unit of youngsters who were also cybernetically augmented to become the perfect killing machines until they were liberated and are now fighting against those that were responsible for what they are now. Haven taken the name, L, the amnesiac boy has yet to uncover any piece of the person he used to be, or interact with anyone from the past that's unknown to him and now, the forces hiding will make their move.**

 **Don't forget to Fave, Follow, and leave your Reviews.**

 **Special shout out to Hound424 who was influential with this chapter. Thanks, bro! :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The world's always changing.

A fact of life.

Looking back on this world's history, society and its people gradually go through longstanding changes to move forward towards the future and the machinations that have been conducted can argued by them that its just humanity repeating the process of evolving. A majority of the masses would argue that all that they do to achieve their goals were inexcusable, that their actions made them worse than masters and that there was a special place in hell for all the pain and torment they've dealt. But that's just it, they can condemn them all they want, what others think hardly makes a difference for they believe that their work is ensuring a better tomorrow for humanity. That was the principle in which BIO was first founded upon and it was the mindset that they've lived by throughout its tenure.

Professor Amadeus Samford, a tall white male with thinning brown hair that was greying on the temple in a lab coat over a tidied up shirt and tie with expensive pants understood this well. He stood inside a well hidden complex, overlooking the progression of the enhanced formulas, he stood behind some protective glass as workers in Hazmat suits stood over a canister of an odd mixture of sorts. "That's enough for today." his voice spoke through the intercom.

"What of the subjects?"

"Have them sedated until all is prepped for the process." Samford replied tightening his tie. "If you'll need me, I have an important matter to attend to. Be sure to clean up."

He exited the laboratory through automatic doors, he walked through an eerie hallway lined with conduits embedded inside the white walls, passing by armed and masked foot soldiers.

No words were exchanged.

They were colleagues not workplace buddies.

Minutes before, the professor had been notified of reporting to the directorial heads of the organization. That alone was enough to make the hairs at the end of his neck stand up. He stopped at blast doors that only those with the proper clearance could enter and being the head of research and breakthrough was proper enough. Samford began by typing in the code then came the scanners that checked out his hand-prints, retinas, the whole nine yards until the doors finally opened. Inside was nothing but darkness, the only visible thing was a circular pad illuminated by lit up lines and he walked until he stood at the center of the pad.

Around him, holographic screens appeared one by one each showing digitized silhouettes of 10 figures, their appearances masked and unseen. _**"Greetings, professor Samford."**_ a voice with a distinct deep voice said. All their voices were synthesized so that they couldn't make out if they were male or female.

Holding back a gulp, the scientist bowed his head apologetically. "Sirs. Forgive me for calling you out of the blue, there was...a mishap that I felt you should be notified of." he told them, prepared for the worst. "At approximately 13 hours ago in eastern time, our convoy filled with prepped and ready fresh new subjects was ambushed by the Network and unfortunately, they succeeded in procuring our potential assets."

 _ **"Impossible."**_ a distinct British-accented voice denied. _**"Our forces can handle any offense Network can muster. Unless..."**_

 _ **"They were there weren't they?"**_ a third voice asked, yet knew the answer.

Lightly tugging on his collar, Samford confirmed their suspicions. "I'm afraid it's true. Similar to the previous reports, our convoys, facilities, and even public fronts were raided by Network agents who are in fact some of our own augmented soldiers that we've lost over the years."

 ** _"So, they're using our own creations against us."_** voice number 4, mused. _**"There's something poetic about that, no denying it."**_

 _ **"But still problematic for us. The sole purpose of Newborn Initiative was to take the first step in our goals, by taking fragile children and remaking them into powerful new breed of soldiers that would personally bring about our vision and for a while, that was undisturbed until the Network started rounding up our young pioneers of the new age. Now, those that were supposed to kill for us are now tasked for the opposite."**_ a Russian voice growled with venom.

 _ **"Perhaps an appropriate response is to counteract them with assets that are still loyal to BIO and only BIO."**_ an Aristocratic 6th head suggested. _**"Simple case of fight fire with fire."**_

"If I may, sirs." Samford raised his hand. "While I agree that they have made light, yet still effective blows to BIO, they are still valuable resources of ours. We spent so much time, gone through so much trial and error to even have the children live past their physical enhancements that I strongly argue that it'd be a waste to just discard them." he stated. "They are like this because the Network managed to steal them before we could put them through education, if we were to get them back then I could-"

 _ **"Professor."**_ he stopped his rantings. _**"The world is vast, filled with potential. To achieve our shared objective, we have gone to many dark places for the greater good, considering that you were the one who pioneered the initiative in the first place, you must understand that an asset that can be exploited by the enemy is and asset better off dead. You can always find more subjects just as the last."**_

 _ **"Maybe our esteemed head of research has gotten rather close to the children."**_ one head teased in a rude manner. _**"He did play a hand in their creation, must be angry that he lost his new toys."  
**_

 _ **"Enough. Samford, we trust you will make the best option, your ingenuity and brilliant mind has made you invaluable to us and we would hate to see you make it all for naught. Whatever solution you have in mind, be sure that it is one that benefits BIO in its entirety, otherwise we will intervene ourselves."  
**_

"Of course, sirs."

 ** _"That will be all for now. Until our next convening."_**

Each screen disappeared, leaving a disgruntled scientist in their wake. Samford was a man of rationality, one of many primary reasons why he argued to regain control of the children. It wasn't anything unnecessary such as fondness but because those kids were living examples of his life's work coming into fruition. Even before ever joining the ranks of BIO, he spent the better years of his life researching advanced prosthetics along that were always deemed laughable by the rest of the science community. Then came BIO who recruited him for his forward thinking, having seen how they've come with the technology, Samford was immediately onboard and with their enhancement procedures, that only opened up a door to numerous possibilities not even he thought were possible.

First few subjects were scouted through genetic testing, BIO's experiments needed those who were deemed compatible enough for the process to be successful and the reason for children was because their bodies, minds, and genetic structures were fresh and impressionable. Grown adults could barely handle the stress of the first phases but they managed to actually succeed in creating a new breed of soldiers. Though young, they were outfitted with revolutionary cybernetic prosthetics and enhanced to beyond peak human condition and were to be their crowned jewels until a number of them were stole away by Network.

His own creations.

Samford's worked too hard to get where he is now and he won't let the Network or his own superiors undermine it all.

One way or another, he'll get those kids back and show them all that he's right.

He'll need some help, though. The heads think having another subject kill them is the right move, maybe what he needs is one that will follow his instructions and has a stellar reputation.

A hunter of sorts.

* * *

Another mission.

Another day full of blood.

Still, today's op was textbook. Went off without so much as a hitch and accomplished their main objective, all the would-be science experiments were safe and secured. One mind-wipe later and they'll be transported back to their families and go about their days in ignorant bliss. Guess some people really can get lucky every now and then.

For some odd reason, that infuriated L. If anything, those kids were quite unfortunate to have come onto BIO's radar, they have no idea how close they were to going through a kind of hell not many would survive. Those that do would have wished they hadn't, it only leads to nothing but a feeling of hollowness and carnage. "Command just called." Aaron reported, returning back from the pilot's radio. "Kids are safely back at their homes and work's already been done to cover their tracks so that BIO won't come after them again."

"Those worthless suckers won't dream of pulling another stunt like that." Devon remarked, twirling a butterfly knife.

"Indeed." Jack stoically confirmed. "One of BIO's greatest attributes is that they remain a present unknown factor to the world at large. To abduct the same children who had gone missing previously would gain suspicion and they prefer to not be the subject of any attention."

Rick rubbed his neck in slight nervousness. "Won't they..."

"...know it was us?" his twin brother, Nick, finished.

"Let them know." Mia spent the trip in the jet trying to beat her last record of disassembling and reassembling her gun. "That way, they'll know exactly who it is that's gutting them all one by one."

"Yeah and maybe we can cut in some disemboweling thrown in." Tony suggested. "It can be like our calling card. Mom always said that making a lasting impression is good enough."

"Pretty sure the mess we made is enough." Jesse pointed out.

"Can always find new ways to make things go boom, brother." Shirako popped his hands open for emphasis. "Eggheads can cook up some more cool toys."

"For you to make us go deaf with that music of yours?" L turned away with a glower. "I think we're good."

"Oof. Dang, bro, why you always gotta hit people like that?" Shirako asked, feigning being shot in the chest.

"Team, we're approaching headquarters." the pilot announced.

All idle chitchat promptly ended as the team glanced out the window. First week L's been with these guys, he was always astounded by their base of operations. Now though, he's gotten so used to it, doesn't really have the same dramatic flair it did before, the carrier jet was descending down on a seemingly empty space until the ground itself automatically split apart, revealing a hidden entrance into what lies beneath unseen by the prying eyes of the world. It was large enough for the carrier to fit through, and inside was an entire hidden bunker filled with soldiers and ops managers, vehicles built for warfare were parked and stored with their own landing on the pad where waiting for them was a grizzled man wearing a black turtle neck and green army pants.

The team got out and stood at attention in front of the man. "Colonel Marsden, sir." Aaron saluted.

"Casualties?"

"Zero, sir."

"Complications."

"None whatsoever."

Nodding in approval, Marsden looked to the rest. "Head to the labs so that the doctors can check for any system trouble. After that, await for further instructions. Dismissed."

"Oh sure, it's not like a 'nice job' wouldn't have been nice." Mia deadpanned.

"A compliment from Ice wall Marsden." Nick snorted.

"As if."

"Quiet." Aaron admonished.

The team headed to the laboratory just as they were told. L never liked this part, these guys were on his side but the sight of people in lab coats working on his damn arm brought up some bad memories. Of all the things he could remember, that part just had to be about the only thing he could actually recall and nothing more. Off the corner of his eye, he noticed that Aaron after finishing his check up was chatting with the colonel, both sending discreet looks his way but no discreet enough for him to miss, he knew the topic of conversation was him. When Network brought L into the fold, he was deemed a unique asset, sure he was like everyone else what with the whole being abducted and made into a cyborg assassin but unlike the rest of the team, he's the only one with amnesia.

Everyone remembered where they came from, but not him.

Making him unpredictable, except for him walking off once check up was over, distancing himself.

That they saw coming a mile away.

* * *

Outside was calm. No firefights, no corpse littering the ground just gazing up at the clear open sky without a care in the world, one of the few times that L felt at ease and relaxed. Sun looked so far from where he sat atop the nearby mountain top that was in close proximity to the underground base, personnel weren't regulated to leave base premises past the mountain unless there was a viable reason, especially for the kids. L could understand that, Network's been busting their asses trying to one-up BIO, the most fatal blow was stealing their soldiers away and having them fight for them instead.

For BIO to take them back would make all of it for naught.

It was also a shared sentiment among the team that they'd rather die then be at the mercy of BIO once again.

He'd be damned if any more of his humanity is taken from him, that and the only semblance of a life he can remember. Thoughtfully, L looked towards the beautiful sunset, and reaches his metal hand towards it. _'Could they be there ?'_ he wondered in his thoughts. _'Beyond all this?'_

The family he can't remember.

Choosing to work with the Network means that any chance of returning to their normal lives were nigh impossible, the others couldn't just re-integrate back to normal after what's been done to him. With L, he had no idea where he came from and was filled with so much anger and hatred towards BIO that it made him that he need to see BIO fall. He never asked if Network could use their resources to find any connection to his lost identity, that he could never feel normal as long as BIO is still at work. Not only that, he had no idea exactly how he'd feel if he actually gets the chance to see them, they'd be nothing but complete strangers.

Still, the lingering question of who really us ate away in him by each passing day.

His earpiece cracked with static. _"Yo, L? You read me?'_

"What is it, Shirako?"

 _"Aaron's got something to deal out with the rest of the crew"_

L quirked an eyebrow in suprise. "Do we have another mission already?"

 _"Nah, man. Get down here and see for yourself."_

Sighing, L got up from his usual spot and walked to the edge of the mountain where the climbing equipment he used to het up this high was stored, he refitted himself with it and descended back down.

* * *

"A day off?"

"That's what the colonel authorized." Aaron said in response to Jesse's question. "It's not mandatory, but it is optional at best. It's scheduled for tomorrow morning but only in case BIO isn't on the move."

"Hell yeah, baby!" Devon cheered at the prospect. "Been spending way too much time in a hole full of stiffs."

"An excursion of this caliber has no clear reason." Jack argued, confusion evident in his tone. "A more productive action that would support our main objective would be to patiently wait in headquarters until we are briefed and deployed on our next assignment. Engaging in such a pointless endeavor holds no value at all so I cannot see any viable reason to even consider it."

"Come on, Jack. Don't be a downer." Jesse chastised his unemotional colleague. "This is our one chance to actually hang out. When was the last time we actually had a day out to not shoot and/or maim people? Quick answer; never. We can finally have a slice of normal civilization like cheeseburgers, cherry swirled smoothies, nothing like the boring stuff they make us eat here that Tony ever really enjoys."

Mia glanced towards her right leg and left arm. "I'm gonna go on a limb here and say there's a plan to hide our robot parts. We are supposed to be a secret so walking around showing all this freaky stuff won't end well for us."

"Then you'd be right Mia." Aaron raised his own appendage where right before their eyes, it momentarily shifted holographically, giving it the appearance of actual flesh that amazed them. "A new feature that's soon to be implanted into the systems. It'll give our prosthetics and other aspects appear organic to the rest of the civilians."

Nick and Rick whistled. "Eggheads really thought outside the box for this one." the former commented.

Tony clapped his hands. "I want mine looking like it has third degree burns!"

Ignoring that disturbing request, Aaron continued. "Before turning in for the night, make sure to have this feature installed and fully charged for tomorrow. That's all."

So that was it.

A heads up about some field trip.

L doubted BIO would actually led up, he's willing to bet a gun that they'll be in a plane first thing tomorrow morning.

* * *

 _'Damn it. I really like that gun, too."_

So it turns out that miraculously, there were presently no BIO activity of any kind, triple checks were made and that was the conclusion and it was so, that these cybernetically enhanced youngsters got on a bus and drove off. The headquarters was at a nexus point between several towns that neighbored each other and they were under the guise of foster kids. L looked out the window of the bus with a bored expression, he still couldn't believe that there were no missions for today, the only time they ever spent when not on one is just training or lazing around at base, he doesn't even know what to do besides shooting at his targets.

"Okay, guys. Just a quick reminder that the Colonel wanted me to convey." Aaron announced. "We only have about 4 hours or so, so spend that time very wisely." as opposed to his mission attire, he wore a simple white hoodie over a black t-shirt and green jeans with blue sneakers.

"First thing I'm hitting is the music shop." Shirako said, spinning his earphones around his fingers."Gotta keep up with that's down in the world. Could only do so much with what I have back in the crib." he had a simple neon green shirt with a black outline of a zombie with shades, and black shorts with sports shoes.

Mia sat with her legs raised over the other seat. "When this is over, whatever I bring home is only mine. Just giving you guys a heads up." she wore a violet sleeveless crop top with a short jacket over it and denim shorts.

"Think they'll let us get a game station?" Nick asked.

"'Cause that'd be sweet." Rick nodded vigorously. Both twins wore inverted color of each other, Rick's shirt was white with blue streaks while Nick's was blue with white streaks and the same brown colored khakis.

"If you're getting games, then I'm getting a snake." declared Tony. He wore a lime green t-shirt over a long-sleeved grey shirt with darker stripes around the arms, the shirt was a little torn.

"Animals are not to be present in the headquarters' premises. We were tasked with merely spending a leisurely time and nothing more. Regulations does not also allow outside technology." Jack stated, still wearing his simple hoodie but now sporting a grey shirt and blue jeans. All in all, he still found no logic in this transaction.

"Let the guy dream, Jack. We won't get another chance like this." Jesse pointed out. A seafoam short-sleeved shirt with waves and bright green shorts and sandals were his chosen attire.

For L himself, he tied his long white hair and concealed it with a red beanie and wore a black jacket over an orange shirt and blue pants. They all bore identical wristwatches that acted as homing beacons and communicators in case they get separated. "Hey Aaron, what town we heading too?" he wore a red shirt with the sleeves torn off, fingerless gloves, and white shoes.

"Just a small town called Huntington Oaks."

L's ears perked at the mention of the town's name. The moment he heard it, his mind drifted off to what looked like a community pool that was littered with celery and carrot slices for some reason and there was some kid with a red cap nearby arguing with the lifeguard, but he couldn't quite make out her face, she was wearing a swimsuit but her face was one big white blank. "We're here." lightly gasping, L turned to see the transport had stopped at their destination, a mall of all things.

* * *

 _ **"This is too good to be true. They're standing right there."**_

Images of the team in Huntington Oaks was monitored through traffic cameras that they hacked into, and couldn't believe the good fortune that's been presented to them. To be frank, it was almost too good to be true and for the most part it was, which was why it'd be a horrible move to blindly take this in stride and just act upon it. _**"I never took Network as being so embarrassingly sloppy."**_ he commented from his screen, alongside his fellow heads of BIO that had their own screens around the table.

 _ **"I can only surmise there's a hidden meaning."**_ a fellow colleague commented. _**"Perhaps they are wondering if we're arrogant enough to think we could fix our problems in one swoop."**_

 _ **"How insulting. They underestimate us far too much."**_

Chuckling, another head couldn't help but see the golden opportunity. **_"Indeed. But honestly, out of all the fruits of our collective labor, we never did get a chance to properly observe these subjects' aptitude in the field. Though the reports detail them as quite the unit, it's my belief that seeing is believing."_**

 ** _"That would be taking a considerable risk. Nonetheless, are we sure we wish to prove Network right by springing their trap?"_**

 ** _"And waste valuable resources by doing so? We also risk exposure due to them being present in a public area, it'd be a fool's errand to proceed."_**

 ** _"You're assessment is valid."_** one screen began to illuminate. **_"Yet, it would be quite intriguing to see their talents as an audience. We may learn something from this. Mobilize the Prowlers."_**

* * *

"Mmm~." Devon savored the taste of the ever so tasty cheeseburger. "See, now this is what real food looks like. Real talk, we push for this kind of service back at HQ, maybe throw in a flat screen TV while we're at it." he suggested. He and the team went straight for the food court, most of the guys were antsy

"You'll make us out to be spoiled brats, Devon." Mia said, sipping at a cool drink. "Pretty sure the boss and the other drones will be too busy with oh I don't know, stopping a shadowy organization making cyborg assassins and all that shit. Unless they suddenly feel watching late night prime time shows with more definition takes priority, then I wouldn't hold my breath."

Aaron looked around frantically. "Keep that talk down. Every word that just came out of your flapping mouth is supposed to be kept secret.

"And don't you dare diss Marvel's Agents Of Shield." Devon pointed at her. "Daisy, and the rest of the crew do important work, it's we're the agents which is kind of true."

Shirako scratched his cheek. "I thought her name was Skye?"

"That was her alias in season 1 before finding her roots as the series goes on, Shirako!" Devon reminded him in exasperation. "Why do I invite you to binge watch it if you're not even gonna pay attention."

Nick leaned into Jesse. "You just had to introduce him that show, didn't you?"

"Fully understanding the Marvel Cinematic Universe takes more than just watching the movies. You also gotta go with the supplementary material like the ABC series and the Netflix shows." Jesse reasoned. "And don't you dare judge me. You and Rick are always on last night's Dream Boat choice. Who cares if Karen picked that Brock?"

"He wore flipflops to their date." L chimed in, shrugging. "Just saying, I'm not exactly a dating expert but come on, everyone should know that's just a rookie mistake."

"Ah, a fellow Boater." Tony nodded in approval. "FYI, I totally think they should give one of the waiters a shot. Background characters never get the respect they deserve."

L shook his head. "Not a watcher of the show. I just can't help but think of one episode, think I only watched it once after one of our missions." that was a tiny white lie, but it's not like it was a big deal. Truth be told, he may have seen even more episodes of that show before Network, whenever someone mentions it, he can't help but comment on who Karen should've picked almost as if he's used to sharing his input on a series he doesn't really get, how does choosing who goes overboard guarantee a suitable romance? "So, Tony. Still want to buy that snake?"

Tony nodded. "Oh, hell yeah. Haven't figured out a name, it has to be something that expresses how it could easily end a life with just one life, also note to self: save that phrase for a movie tagline. I was thinking Hiss or maybe Veno….or...or..."

"El Diablo."

"Woah. It's like you're reading my mind."

And that's another rando, yet oddly familiar thought that came to mind. He even felt the urge to tell him how to properly take care of a snake, as if he even had to babysit the reptile while its actual owner was out mudslinging? Either he was having the biggest headache imaginable or Tony was starting to rub off on him, which was a scary thought altogether. Speaking of headaches, one was brewing right this second, not to mention some sweat pouring as well, being in this mall and this town, he felt he didn't belong here that he needed to go somewhere else, somewhere that was nearby. But he had no clue on what brought this on. "I'm uh, gonna tour the place a bit."

"L. You know we're not supposed to be separated." Aaron called out.

"You can track me."

He needed to get away.

He needed to think.

* * *

If one were to ask months ago what the Louds were doing, those who've been their neighbors the longest would say something about an explosion coming fro the smart one's room or the little blonde overalls wearing girl letting her many pet animals loose. Now, not even one peep could be heard, it's now evident that it can never truly be the Loud House without all Louds being present for their usual shenanigans, just doesn't have that feeling of completion when they lost one of their own. The 4 months without Lincoln has taken it's toll on the family, and despite how hard they tried what with all the posters of him plastered around town and family and friends offering their assistance, it was apparent that any hope of finding him was growing more and more futile, with it, a part of their hearts as well.

"Uh-huh. Okay. I understand. Thank you, Maria." Lynn Sr. hung up.

He had called Maria Santiago, one of their old neighbors, friends, and mother of his daughter's boyfriend. She along with her kids and the rest of the Santiagos were aware of the situation involving Lincoln and had been helping in anyway possible. The Louds were thankful for that, knowing that they weren't the only ones. Bobby thought of him as a little brother and Ronnie Anne, though she and him have denied it, both care for one another more than they're willing to admit in the capacity that Lynn Sr. cares for Rita.

Great Lakes City had it's fair share of runaway kids, but that was a bust as well. The father of 11 turned to see his wife finally exit from their bedroom, looking straight at him. A shake of the head form her husband made her want to retreat back into bed but knew she's wasted enough energy wallowing in her own self-pity.

But it still hurt inside. "Are the girls still in their rooms?"

"They ate breakfast in their rooms again." he confirmed, shaking his head. "How could this have happened? Why did it have to take one mistake, one bad day to make it all turn out like this?" he asked, desperately. He knew raising kids was a challenge, especially when there's about 11 of them but so much insanity comes to their family that they in turn make crazy and rash decisions that affect their family as a whole.

"He's safe." Rita spoke faintly. "He has to be, right? There's no way anything bad happened to him. Nothing could have happened to my...my...baby..." she choked out.

Lynn Sr. wanted to reassure her but as much as he hated to say it, he doesn't have the faintest clue on the status of their only son, not even their brightest, Lisa could pinpoint him. All the patriarch could do was move to sit next to his wife and console her as best as he could, but that wasn't enough, the only way to ease this feeling of emptiness was for their Lincoln to come back and hopefully make up for all that happened that resulted in this situation. A knock was then heard from the door and Lynn Sr. got up to open. In the doorway were two police detectives. He recognized them, they were the ones that would keep the family up do to date concerning the case involving their boy.

"Hello, Mr. Loud?" the first officer greeted indifferently. "Is this a bad time?"

"N-No, officer. Please, come in." he told the, retreating back to his wife and helped her up as the police stood before them. He was never good at reading people, but something in their expressions made the father unease. "Is this about our son? Did you...?"

Both cops exchanged a somber expression and decided they might as well be front with them and not mince words. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud. I'm-I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. But it's been decided that the case involving your son be considered dropped." he looked directly at their distraught faces. "We've spent a lot of manpower and resources trying to find him, but there's just no trace of him in months. Our CSI team has tried finding any indication that would point to him being alive, but there was nothing on that front as well. I'm afraid we're gonna have to face the possibility that he's...dead."

By the time he the detective finish uttering that horrid sentence, Lynn Sr. felt an invisible vice-like grip constrict his throat to prevent him uttering a single word, he backed away slowly, flopping hard to the couch grabbing his forehead. closing his eyes without bothering to stop the fresh tears. One of his own, dead, just gone and no matter how he looked at it, it was his fault. This tragedy could've prevented had he actually acted like a stern father like his own, even if it was a possibility, it didn't change a damn thing. A father should never outlive his child, it just wasn't right, none of this was right.

Rita felt her knees wobbling, tempted to ask the detective to repeat what he just said but opted not to, she knew what he said and she knew what it meant, one of her babies, her boy, could be gone forever. She lost the strength to stand and collapsed to her knees as a rush of despair hit her where it deeply hurts, followed by disbelief, shock, horror, and agony. So much agony. She's no stranger to losing a family member, remembering how much it pained her when her mother passed away. Her son, the child she protected for 9 months until his birth, a part of her, was possibly lying in an alley somewhere all alone, it was too much. She screamed at the top of her lungs, wailing her sorrow making her husband kneel down and hugged her as they both comforted each other in their grief with the detectives laying down their heads.

Unknown to the grownups, they were being watched. Perched on the wall was what looked a common housefly, but in truth, it was one of Lisa's personal spy drones that recorded everything it sees which is then transmitted back to a screen. Upstairs, the Loud sisters were gathered in Lori and Leni's room, their parents had been trying to get them to talk things out and they could bare with it for their parents' sake. But then Lisa got an alert from her drone and put up a screen to show them what had transpired downstairs. None of them were prepared for the terrible news that awaited them, it was like they were experiencing the same nightmare all at once.

Lori's phone was in her hands as always until it slipped from her hands and fell onto the floor, the screen breaking ever so lightly and yet, she didn't care or bother to pick it up. Before her eyes, the past flashed, memories of her little brother, the one she used to feed ice cream to and would occasionally play video games with, who volunteered to be her catty, who sacrificed going to a party so that she could have the best night ever, all leading up to the luck fiasco. She silently started to hyperventilate, turning slowly to her whimpering roommate.

Everyone knew that Leni wasn't exactly the brightest Loud, but she wasn't completely clueless and dense on some matters such as this, as much as it saddens her, the concept of death wasn't lost. But of all people, why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be her Linky? Her level of despair was on par with her mother, as tear drops fell to the floor and she broke down in front of her sisters, she couldn't handle reality but it didn't care, it sunk its claw into this gentle soul. "L-Linky….! He's not..." Her heart and soul was torn asunder, guilt filling up.

For a while, Luna was silent, her head was lowered to shield her eyes and slowly turned over to Lynn and stepped towards her and as she did, her own memories played out like a movie. Those were times that brought her happiness, but now have a more bittersweet taste, she always liked to think of herself as one of the sisters who was truly close to Lincoln. She acted that way to all her younger sibs, being the cool big sis while Lori was being the strict older sis, she and him bonded over a shared love of rock music and then she made his first concert unforgettable, holding him as baby, hearing his first words, their jam sessions.

"Are you happy?" she asked the jock with a trembling tone. "You wanted him gone, made us all think the same, you happy now, Lynn?!" she screeched, grabbing her by the collar of her jersey, she was angry at herself as well for buying to the claims but remembered that Lynn started it. "He was your bro, dammit! My baby bro...!"

While she was fuming, Luan retreated into a corner, as her roommate took her anger out on Lynn, the comedian could only bury her face into the safe confines of her knees. She now realized that happiness is only a fleeting emotion, that it could never be present in life forever, that crushing sadness can come just as easily and arrives at just the right moment, and unlike her puns, the feeling is reciprocated. She hid her face from the world, no joke or punchline could ever make light of this moment, she could put on a routine that could go on for hours and even then, she knows it'd just be pointless to do so in the first place.

Lynn didn't bother fighting back against Luna, she was much too busy being dazed, confused, and broken. Being the competitive sports girl that she is, Lynn hated losing. To her, all there ever was winning based on her natural physical talents and more infamously, her reliance on the concept of luck, no matter how ridiculous her beliefs were, she always counted luck on her side to secure her many sports victories perhaps a little too much which came to an escalation 4 months ago. Losing a game is one thing but losing your own younger brother, a person she's known since birth, the same that she tended to roughhouse with a little too much, arguing that it was all to toughen him up in her own words. This was her own fault, she's come to terms with that, her claims and beliefs led to this.

 _'I...killed him...?'_ she trembled hard, crushing the ball she had in her end and didn't notice Lori prying Luna away. Sniffling she fell back on her back, eyes wide with horror.

Quite a sick and twisted world to be born into, that rang true for Lucy. Being the duchess of darkness, the poetic goth did what she did best, disappear without anyone noticing, she found solitude within the confides of the vents and for once, being alone did not ease her sorrow. There's playing the part, but right now, this was what true despair felt like and she didn't like it one bit. Though there were her parents and sisters, she felt her spirits actually lighten up when she's at the side of her big brother as despite him also being put off by her taste in darkness, that didn't stop him from supporting her when helping with her poems, and never saw her dark side as just a phase.

The tears can escape for this moment, she had good reason to.

As a six-year-old 1st grader, Lana, she was still to young and wide-eyed, she was at the tender age where she should never have to face this kind of trauma in her life but life itself didn't simply care about what age someone is. She thought losing a pet would be heartbreaking enough but she's not sure if anything could outshine this. Hops looked up to his best human friend in concern as she wallows in tea. Her signature red cap fell from her blond head and fell to her hand and hugged it close to her heart, pretending that it was her big brother, the same one that's played with since she and Lola were babies, she asked herself why did this have to happen?

Why did he go away?

She would make as many promises such as being a better sister.

Her miss prim and perfect younger twin could do nothing as discord unfolded around her. The last few months she's seen of her brother was when she treated him as a bad luck charm before switching to forcing him to become a good luck charm by wearing that stupid mascot suit under their rule, a rule in which she reveled. But now she realizes that her older brother was gone, the very one that coached her through her many pageants, willing to learn stuff most boys wouldn't do all to help her win such as French braiding her hair. Who actually respected her talent of pageantry by his own volition, not through fear, bribery, or blackmail.

Mascara runs down as she listens on to her mother and second oldest sister break down, Luna barging out in anger, and she could have sworn that she heard sniffling coming from Lisa of all people. All the little Einstein could do was stare at the screen, Lily was the only sister not present having been sleeping in her crib inside their shared room and thought it'd be best to not disturb her slumber, now she's glad their infant sibling wasn't present. The young prodigy's immense mind began to tear itself apart, she always kept her emotions in check under her claim that she's above innate feelings but that wall was destroyed. Now, she was any other 4-year-old who was now suffering, who in their right mind would prepare themselves for this type of answer after a 4-month long investigation.

Even when she had doubts about his return, she held out some sliver of hope that he at least would've been found.

But now...

Succumbing to it, she scurried out to her room and collapsed on her bed, pulling the sheets over so that none could see her tears and muffled her choked sobs.

"Goo?" Lily stirred awake, hearing the noise. "Sa-Sa?" she called, confused yet concerned over her big sister's sate.

Wiping her nose, Lisa peaked out. "E-Everything is fine, youngest sibling. Do not fret."

She hated lying to her and even though she's proven to be more attentive than most babies, Lily was still one nonetheless, none of them had the stomach to tell her that big brother wasn't coming back.

It still felt impossible.

He couldn't be dead.

* * *

 _'Being here makes me feel like I'm dead to the world.'_ L walked past many people as he wandered the mall all by his lonesome. This really felt surreal, him being in a public place like this. Headquarters, their personnel, and the team were the only people and the only place that he actually hung around, and more comfortable since all of those people were like him in certain aspects. But being among more ordinary people made feel like he stood out like a sore thumb now that he thought about it. Far as he knows, none of them spend most of the time conducting dangerous operations nor do the kids he sees have any hidden prosthetics, the rest of them team could understand since they were like that before BIO, but not L. Everything's he's done is all he actually knows and yet, even that's not enough.

"Hey, what was the deal with that batter from the other team?" he stopped and heard a conversation of a group of children, middle schoolers by the look of it who each wore baseball jerseys.

"Got me, man." one of them responded to the other's question. "Heard she had a huge meltdown in one of the past games that she lost, but then she scored a win until her game got off. Kinda disappointed, I heard the Squirrels were supposed to be the best that Royal Woods had to offer but that chick had a huge anger problem. Costed her the game."

Squirrels...

Royal Woods...

That made him angry and sad at the same time.

And the migraines made a comeback. L went to the nearest bathroom and went inside the stalls to collect himself, it would've made sense to tell some higher ups about these headaches but he didn't want to let it interfere with the mission. He could handle taking lives without a second thought, he should be able to handle this. Of course, goes without saying that taking a break wouldn't be too bad, might give him a chance to actually enjoy some simplicity, maybe that's the reason why this outing was authorized in the first place.

No, that's thinking wat too soft.

Maybe Jack had a point, this whole thing does seem pointless. The door opening was heard and heard light footsteps, acting on pure instinct and training, he moved his feet up to avoid being seen. "You sure it was one of them?" he heard a dude ask.

"Facial recognition confirmed. It was definitely him, the scanner picked up on his arm, and whatever method they used to hide it can't outrun it." another replied in a confident tone.

"And he's in here? Sure that crap isn't busted because all I see are bunch of suckers being a bathroom for no reason at all." a third remarked, thinking this was a waste of time.

His eyes widened as he heard them speak. By all counts, they might as well be working for _them_ , but he needed to at least make sure, didn't want to get busted for injuring possible Network agents. L looked through the small but visible view of the stall door and could identify a group of five men each wearing black turtlenecks with intimidating expressions. L rolled up his sleeve and tabbed his right hand that opened up and released a small probe the size of a fly and flew around the men and did full scan on them. He looked as it beeped red, and a mini holo-screen popped up and identified tags with BIO spelled out in front of him.

No doubting it.

They were with BIO.

"Alright, let's search the stalls, we can't disappoint the-huh?" the men looked down to see a small black orb roll out from one of the stalls and it doused them in smoke, making them scramble and cough. L jumped over the door and landed in between them, taking out a combat knife, he plunged it into the legs of the one with the ugly snout, making him fall and scream but that was silenced when L ran up and slit his throat. "He's hear!"

The familiar sound of guns brandishing was heard, and he repeated the same action by pulling out a SIG-Sauer P320 fit with a silencer and took aim, he waited until a smart part of the fog cleared up to show one target who had a distinguished scar and pulled the trigger. It went straight through his forehead and left him falling onto the sink. He ran through the gas and placed capped twice in one leg, making the other BIO thug drop to his knees and L grabbed him with his robot arm and choked him until an audible crunch sound was heard. "I got him!" he jumped backwards onto the goon that yelled and forced him crash into the sink mirror, some broken pieces embedded into his bald head before being pushed down and double capped.

One final piece of shit remained and he tried firing with his own silenced pistol but L raised his right arm and the bullets bounced off it, but it did dispel the holographic device a bit. Raising his metal fist, it shot forward and latched onto the guy's shoulder and sent out a stinging taser that made the guy drop his gun, allowing L to shoot him through the kneecaps and then pulled him close. "How many of are you there?!" L demanded.

Coughing out blood, the nameless grunt glared hatefully. "As many as it takes...to either get BIO's property back or make sure our enemies doesn't use any of them..."

Snarling in fury, L shot him through the throat, making him choke on his own blood. "We _aren't_ property, you son of a bitch." he noticed something having been on the floor in all the confusion and picked it up. There were several dots on it, 10 neon green dots stood out and multiple red dots. Bio was here and they were after the team.

L immediately went for his earpiece. "Aaron, it's me, we got trouble!" all he got was static. "Crap, they jammed our communications!" he gritted his teeth, that also means they can't radio headquarters as well.

They were on their own with a pack of BIO dogs in a civilian populated area.

Somehow, those migraines would be more favorable.


End file.
